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Tuesday, October 27, 2009

I'm happy to welcome Megan Frazer, YA author of the recently released SECRETS OF TRUTH AND BEAUTY for the Book Cooks series - I have to agree with Megan (and Owen) here: everything does taste better with goat cheese. Don't you agree?

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In Secrets of Truth & Beauty, Dara goes to live on a goat farm with her sister Rachel, who is a terrific cook. The first meal they share is an eggplant and aubergine terrine. I would love to share the recipe, but here's my confession: I made up the dish. I just liked the way the words sounded together. However, later in the book, the folks of Jezebel Goat Farm all sit down for personal pizzas. It's a tense moment, but that doesn't make pizza any less delicious. So, here's a recipe for Pizza with Caramelized Onions and Goat Cheese, because, as Owen remarks in the book, everything is better with goat cheese.

Pizza with Caramelized Onions and Goat Cheese

Crust: You can make your own using a recipe like this one. Or you can buy prepared dough. A lot of pizza places will sell theirs, and that's going to taste much better than the frozen kind. (Buy local!)

Onions: Caramelized onions are not the same as sauteed onions. I learned this from The Joy of Cooking, so here's their recipe for Caramelized Onions:

Heat in a very large killed until the butter is melted:

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

Add: 3 pounds onions, thinly sliced

Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt

Cook over the lowest possible heat for one hour, turning the onions several times. Do not be tempted to increase the heat -- the onions need to be thoroughly soft before they begin to brown. Once they are soft, increase the heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, until well browned, or caramelized, about 25 minutes more. If the residue from the juices has built up in the pan, add:

1/2 cup dry white wine or water

Scrape the pan to dissolve the browned bits. They will immediately mix into the onions darkening them further. Remove from the heat and season well with Salt and plenty of ground pepper to taste.